Shoe tree for visibility



y 5, 1965 D. MACKAY 3,192,544

SHOE TREE FOR VISIBILITY Filed May 28, 1964 INVENTOR. DONHL 0 MHCKHY H TTORNE) United States Patent 3,192,544 H9E TREE FGR VISIBILITY Donald Maciray, 39-16 39th Drive, Long Island City 2, NX. Filed May 23, 1964, Ser. No. 370,985 4 Claims. (Cl. 12117.4)

The invention relates to an adjustable shoe tree including a toe member and a heel member which is pivotally mounted on the toe member. The heel member is of a wide U shaped form throughout its length with long and thin arms so that the bottom of the shoe is fully exposed to show the name or trademark of the shoe manufacturer, as well as any other indicia, with the shoe tree within the shoe. Also all of the adjusting means and the hinge connection is located within a cavity in the toe member so that these parts are not in an obstructing position.

It is an object of the invention to construct an adjustable shoe tree having a hinged U shaped heel member with its arm of relatively thin construction throughout its length and with the hinge within the region of the rear end of the toe member and with all of the adjusting means within a cavity in the toe member so that the name of the shoe manufacturer, and any other indicia, are visible with the shoe tree within the shoe and the shoe tree does not cover up the bottom of the shoe.

A further object is as above with the hinged heel member hinged to the ends of a U shaped fork forming a part of the adjusting means so that the hinged mounting for the U shape heel member does not obstruct the inside bottom of the shoe in all adjusted positions of the shoe tree.

A still further object is as in each of the two preceding paragraphs with a hinged finger grip mounted on the inner wall and at the end of the U-shaped heel member with the hinged finger or pull member lying vertically within the heel member out of the way when not in use so that it does not cover any of the printed matter in the bottom of the shoe.

Gther objects of the invention will be more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of the shoe tree from the bottom thereof;

FIG. 2 is a section through the toe member taken on 1 line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the rear portion of the heel member showing the hinged finger grip or pull.

The shoe tree includes a toe member 143 which has a large cavity therein with an extensive opening 11 through the bottom of the toe member making the cavity accessible from the bottom. The toe member particularly illustrated is molded of plastic and has a relatively thin wall so that it is hollow and in this manner forms a cavity but the wall has at least sufficient rigidity to shape a shoe toe when the shoe tree is within a shoe. The toe member has a rear edge 12.

The toe member carries adjusting means for adjusting the length of the shoe tree. All of the adjusting means is within the cavity of the toe member and includes a bracket or adjusting member 15 which is secured to the toe member in any suitable fashion such as by rivets 16. This bracket has a horizontal or substantially horizontal and longitudinally extending bore 18 therethrough. A slot 17 extends lengthwise through the bottom wall of the bracket and into the bore. The adjusting means also includes a rod 2t) which is received and slidable in the bore 18 of the bracket 15. This rod carries a pin 21, shown as threaded into the rod, which pin is received in the slot 17 so that it permits lengthwise adjustment 3,192,544 Patented July 5, 1965 "ice of the rod therein by the extent of the slot 17. In addition the pin and slot prevents turning of the rod 26 and hence prevents turning of a hinge member 22 which is carried by the rod. The hinge member preferably is a fork or of a U shaped form with arms and at the end of each arm, there is a hinge means formed by a hinge pin 23. The arms of the fork extend laterally and approach the width of the interior of the toe member and also is adjacent to or in the region of the rear edge 12 of the toe member as will appear. Locking means is provided to fix the rod in adjusted position in the bore of the bracket. The locking means shown is a thread on the outer and projecting end of the pin 21. A look nut '24 is threaded thereon to anchor the rod and the fork 22 in adjusted position.

Each hinge pin 23 receives the end of a U shaped heel member 27, the arms of which are relatively thin lat t-erally as viewed in FIG. 1 but has substantial Width or dimension vertically as viewed in FIG. 2 so that it has ample strength and vertical stiffness. The heel member is shown with the ends of its arms within the ends of the fork 22, although they could be exterior thereof. The sides of the U shaped heel member are close to or may engage the sides of a shoe so that the arms are widely spaced and the bottom of the shoe is fully exposed.

At the end of the heel member on the inner surface thereof, is a hinged pull means which normally hangs downwardly so that it does not obstruct in any material way, any printing which may be in the bottom of the shoe. When a finger grip is desired to lift or lower the heel member into a shoe, it is hinged outwardly. The hinged pull or grip means particularly shown includes a base plate 29 which is secured to the rear inner wall of the heel member so that it is vertical and with minimum obstruction and is secured in place such as by a rivet 3%). This base plate carries a hinge pin 31 at its upper edge on which is hingedly mounted the finger grip 32. The finger grip may carry side flanges 33 to cover the base plate to make it appear more attractive when the finger grip is down and out of the way. The face of the hinged finger grip may be used for the name of the shoe tree manufacturer where it can not be missed.

This invention is presented to fill a need for improvements in shoe tree for visibility. It is understood that various modifications in structure, as well as changes in mode of operation, assembly and manner of use, may and often do occur to those skilled in the art, especially after benefiting from the teachings of an invention. This disclosure illustrates the preferred means of embodying the invention in useful form.

What is claimed is:

I. A shoe tree comprising a toe member having side walls, the toe member having a cavity therein and a substantial opening from the cavity through the bottom of the toe member, the cavity of the toe member having a rear end and a forward end with a level or substantially level inner top surface in the forward end of the cavity, a heel member of U shaped form providing spaced arms, the heel member being thin in a lateral direction throughout its U shaped form and of substantial width to give vertical stiffness to the arms, the arms having a length extending to the rear end of the toe member, the arms being spaced apart to engage the sides of a shoe over a major portion of the length thereof and with .a substan tial opening between the arms, and adjusting means secured to the toe member in the cavity and in the forward end of the toe member whereby the adjusting means is accessible from the cavity opening including a slide bracket secured to the toe member on the inner top surface of the cavity at the forward end of the toe member, the slide bracket having a horizontal and longitudinally extending bore therein, the slide bracket having a longitudinally extending slot through the lower wall thereof into the bore, a rod slidably mounted in the bore and having a rear end projecting rearwardly from the bracket, a pin carried by the rod and extending into the slot, means to lock the rod in adjusted position in the bore, a hinge member carried by the rear end of the rod and projecting laterally with its ends adjacent to the side Walls of the toe member, and a hinge pin between each projecting end of the hinge member and the forward end of each arm of the heel member, and the entire adjusting means being within the cavity of the toe member for a major part of the adjusted positions of the hinge member.

2. A shoe tree as in claim 1 in which the hinge member is of U shaped form providing arms extending rearwardly, and the hinge pins being received by the ends of the hinge member arms.

3. A shoe tree as in 'claim 1 including a finger hinge having a base plate secured to the inner vertical wall of References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,706,312 3/29 Niles 12116.8 1,849,752 3/32 Conner 12l17.4

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,061,369 4/54 France. 1,181,925 6/59 France.

101,810 10/23 Switzerland.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SHOE TREE COMPRISING A TOE MEMBER HAVING SIDE WALLS, THE TOE MEMBER HAVING A CAVITY THEREIN AND A SUBSTANTIAL OPENING FROM THE CAVITY THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF THE TOE MEMBER, THE CAVITY OF THE TOE MEMBER HAVING A REAR END AND A FORWARD END WITH A LEVEL OR SUBSTANTIALLY LEVEL INNER TOP SURFACE IN THE FORWARD END OF THE CAVITY, A HEEL MEMBER OF U SHAPED FORM PROVIDING SPACED ARMS, THE HEEL MEMBER BEING THIN A LATERAL DIRECTION THROUGHOUT ITS U SHAPED FORM AND OF SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH TO GIVE VERTICAL STIFFNESS TO THE ARMS, THE ARMS HAVING A LENGTH EXTENDING TO THE REAR END OF THE TOE MEMBER, THE ARMS BEING SPACED APART TO ENGAGE THE SIDES OF A SHOE OVER A MAJOR PORTION OF THE LENGTH THEREOF AND WITH A SUBSTANTIAL OPENING BETWEEN THE ARMS, AND ADJUSTING MEANS SECURED TO THE TOE MEMBER IN THE CAVITY AND IN THE FORWARD END OF THE TOE MEMBER WHEREBY THE ADJUSTING MEANS IS ACCESSIBLE FROM THE CAVITY OPENING INCLUDING A SLIDE BRACKET SECURED TO THE TOE MEMBER ON THE INNER TOP SURFACE OF THE CAVITY AT THE FORWARD END OF THE TOE MEMBER, THE SLIDE BRACKET HAVING A HORIZONTAL AND LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING BORE THEREIN THE SLIDE BRACKET HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SLOT THROUGH THE LOWER WALL THEREOF INTO THE BORE, A ROD SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN THE BORE AND HAVING A REAR END PROJECTING REARWARDLY FROM THE BRACKET, A PIN CARRIED BY THE ROD AND EXTENDING INTO THE SLOT, MEANS TO LOCK THE ROD IN ADJUSTED POSITION IN THE BORE, A HINGE MEMBER CARRIED BY THE REAR END OF THE ROD AND PROJECTING LATERALLY WITH ITS ENDS ADJACENT TO THE SIDE WALLS OF THE TOE MEMBER, AND A HINGE PIN BETWEEN EACH PROJECTING END TO THE HINGE MEMBER AND THE FORWARD END OF EACH ARM OF THE HEEL MEMBER, AND THE ENTIRE ADJUSTING MEANS BEING WITHIN THE CAVITY OF THE TOE MEMBER FOR A MAJOR PART OF THE ADJUSTED POSITIONS OF THE HINGE MEMBER. 